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E233 series
The E233 series is a Japanese commuter electric multiple unit. Built since 2006 for JR East, the E233 series is mainly used on city and outer-suburban commuter services. It is one of a few main types of rolling stock used on urban commuter services on JR East, with another being the E233 sets. They are designed to also be able to complement the E231 series sets. History The E233 series was designed in 2006 to replace various city commuter trains like 103, 201, 203, 205, 207 series and 209 series sets due to aging. The first set, H43, was delivered in September 2006 and began test running that month; the sets entered service on 26 December 2006 on the Chūō Line (Rapid). However, the E233 series weren't manufactured to replace the rolling stock of the Chūō-Sōbu Line, as the E231 series sets on the line are sufficient enough to last a few more years. Most cars are still in service and are based at various depots around Japan. A total of seven cars have been scrapped due to accident damage. Design The E233 series uses a modern design with an unpainted stainless steel body very much like most JR East commuter trains. Each set has a different color scheme to indicate which area the sets serve. Unlike the E231 series sets however, the E233 series sets have a standardized body style for all lines, with the exception of the narrow-bodied E233-2000 series sets. Most E233 series sets have dual top-mounted high-intensity discharge headlamps; some sets have had those headlamps switched out for more modern square-shaped LED fixtures. Variations ;Livery variations | | Chūō Line (Rapid), Fuji Kyuko Line, Hachikō Line, Itsukaichi Line, Ōme Line |- | colspan="4" | |- ! E233-1000 series | | | Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Negishi Line |- | colspan="4" | |- ! E233-2000 series | | | Jōban Line, Odakyu Odawara Line, Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line |- | colspan="4" | |- ! E233-3000 series | | | Ryōmō Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Takasaki Line, Tōkaidō Main Line, Ueno-Tokyo Line, Utsunomiya Line |- | colspan="4" | |- ! E233-5000 series | | | Keiyō Line |- | colspan="4" | |- ! E233-6000 series | | | Yokohama Line |- | colspan="4" | |- ! E233-7000 series | | | Kawagoe Line, Saikyō Line, TWR Rinkai Line |- | colspan="4" | |- ! E233-8000/E233-8500 series | | | Nambu Line |- |} ;Cab design variations There are two cab design variations of the E233 series. One is used for the E233-2000 series sets and the other is a standard body design used on all other variations; within the standard body design, there is a small variation in where the location of the service number LED display is placed. E233 Kawagoe Open Day 2015.jpg|Six E233 series sets exhibited at the Kawagoe Depot Open Day in October 2015. L–R: E233-8000 series set N22, E233-7000 series set Hae125, E233-6000 series set H008, E233-5000 series set KeYo507, E233-3000 series set U227, E233-0 series set Ao462 E233-8500 N36 Musashi-Shinjō 2017.jpg|E233-8500 series set N36 approaching Musashi-Shinjō Station on the Nambu Line in March 2017. This is the only E233-8500 series set ever built; it was converted from set Ao670 in 2017. The E233-8500 series set's train running number display is located left of the full-color destination displays, as opposed to below the windshield on the E233-8000 series sets. E233-2000 Yoyogi-Uehara Through 16 2012.jpg|E233-2000 series narrow-bodied set MaTo16 on a Jōban Line-Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line through-running service approaching Yoyogi-Uehara Station in June 2012. E233-1000 Keihin-Tōhoku 179 2017.jpg|E233-1000 series set Ura179 on the Keihin-Tōhoku Line in December 2017. This set retains its original high-intensity discharge headlamps. E233-1000 Keihin-Tōhoku 145 2017.jpg|E233-1000 series set Ura140 approaching Tamachi Station on the Keihin-Tōhoku Line in October 2017. This set has had its headlamps switched out for modern square-shaped LED fixtures. E233-3000 L06 Takasaki Line 2012.jpg|E233-3000 series outer-suburban set L06 (now numbered U622) on the Takasaki Line in October 2012. This set retains its original high-intensity discharge headlamps. Specifications Construction is of stainless steel. Cars are 20 meters long, 2.95 meters wide and 3.98 meters high. Almost all variants of the E233 series use Mitsubishi insulated gate bipolar transistor variable frequency drives; these make a hissing sound when accelerating from idle. However, the later E233-3000 series sets use a different kind of variable frequency drive; a two-level IGBT drive manufactured by Hitachi, which makes a higher-pitched wooshing sound. The E233 series sets are one of a few sets which are the blueprints for successive trains developed by JR East; others include the E231 and 209 series sets. The sets came with full-color LED destination displays from new, with LED end-of-train lamps located next to the destination displays. Incidents On 8 September 2008, a Ōme Line ten-car E233-0 series set Ao661 rammed into a truck that was stuck at a level crossing at 6:25pm JST. The truck was completely destroyed by the crash, while six cars of the set were damaged, of which five sustained severe damage. The truck driver escaped with minor injuries, but there were no injuries to the train driver, conductor or passengers due to crushable zones built-in to the E233 series' cabs. Five replacement cars were manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries; the replacement cars retained their original numbers, while the five cars severely damaged by the crash were scrapped at the Tokyo General Rolling Stock Centre. Keihin-Tōhoku Line E233-1000 series set Ura177 collided with a track maintenance vehicle on 23 February 2014 at 1:11am JST while carrying an empty stock train near Kawasaki Station; the first two cars of the set derailed with the first car ending up on its side. The driver and conductor escaped the incident with minor injuries; no passengers were on board at the time. The reason for the crash was determined to be the track maintenance crew; the crew accidentally dispatched the track maintenance vehicle, forgetting about the last train service on the Keihin-Tōhoku Line. Both of the cars that derailed suffered severe damage and were officially withdrawn on 4 December 2016 and scrapped the same month. Trivia *Because of tetraphobia in Japan, no E233-4000 series trains were ever designed or manufactured; this is due to one of a few ways to say the number "4" being notably similar to one of a number of ways the word "death" is said in Japan. References *Wikipedia.org Category:JR Group trains Category:Electric Trainsets Category:J-TREC locomotives Category:Kawasaki locomotives Category:Tokyu Car locomotives